Pages

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

An Imam - Sheikh Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sudayis - from Saudi Arabia, Imam at the grand mosque of Mecca, was invited to India by Jamiatul Ulema-e-Hind, political wing of Deoband sect of Islam whose ideology and teachings have inspired Taliban like and produced Taliban. Considering that Indian Muslims see Saudi Arabia as cradle of Islam, many of them were elated with this Sheiks visit, at least if we go by the reporting of Muslim media in India (here):

Lakhs of Muslims from different parts of the country thronged the prestigious Darul-Uloom seminary in this Uttar Pradesh town to participate in the Friday prayers led by the chief Imam of the Masjid-al-Haram in Makkah - Islam's most sacred site......He was accompanied by former Indian cricket captain turned MP Mohammad Azharuddin, union Minister of State for Tourism Sultan Ahmad and Urdu daily Sahafat's editor Hasan Shuja....

This is understandable and those lakhs of ordinary people can not be blamed! But, what about elected representatives, so called moderate Muslim leadership including our Vice President and 'chest thumping' Hindu secularists of Congress who shamelessly acted in utter disregard of basic values of humanity by extending invitation to a hate preaching Imam from intolerant and fascist Saudi Arabia and attending dinner parties too? Where were the secular ethos of these Congress men? If any one still does not think present day secularism is a bogus and corrupt concept and nothing more than appeasement of Islamic extremists in the pursuit of politics of Muslim vote bank, they should seriously do some introspection!
One has to ask, 'can an ideology which produced Taliban ever be secular?'. Jamiatul Ulema-e-Hind is a pure and fanatical Islamic party and yet our secular leaders, esp. present day Congress party leadership and likes of Mulayam Singh Yadav, have never had any kind of moral or ethical problem to associate with them; it's parent organization is involved in fatwas against Muslims singing Vandemataram, fatwas supporting triple talaq over cell phones and in e-mails and issuing aggressive statements and violent-threats against uniform civil code and Muslims adopting to family planning. Yet, when Deoband says it is for secularism, tolerance and harmony we all take it without question and go by their word. This leadership of Islamic sect or seminary school Darul-Uloom can also be judged in its outlook towards non-Muslims by people it associates with i.e. Sheikh Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sudayis who is quite renowned for his sermons of hate against Jews and other non-Muslims in the so called grand mosque, which are also broadcast in Saudi TV channels.

K Rahman Khan, deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha, hosted a dinner in this Sheik's honor and this was attended by our secular Prime Minister, our Muslim vice president Hamid Ansari, who is never short of giving lectures on secularism, and many more ministers (here).

First, how come these representatives of secular India give dinner party or attend a dinner party to such religious leaders? Imagine the outrage expressed by Congress, our english media and other secular Muslims if BJP did the same thing with Hindu religious leaders? Or better, try to recall how Congress and its cronies reacted when Amitabh Bachchan praised Narendra Modi and functioning of his Govt.; that too when Narendra Modi was elected CM of Gujarat. Secularism is just one way street in India and its principles and philosophy do not hold for Muslims.

Considering that their hearts beat for secularism, don't they (Secular Muslim leaders) know that Saudi Arabia practices worst kind of discrimination against non-Muslims. Forget about Saudi Arabia allowing places of worship belonging to others on its land, it even bans non-Muslims carrying items like Bible, crosses, photos or other religious books in to their country. non-Muslims can not even set their foot in Mecca and Medina. Even then, it is politically incorrect to put these questions to self styled leaders or representatives of Muslims or even to point out in comments sections of media websites.

From the telugu daily (Eenadu, dated 28/03, page 3), I read about so called message from Sheikh Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sudayis: Koran is a message to all people, not just Muslims. Another news portal reported: "Islam spreads the message of universal brotherhood," was the message from Sheikh Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sudayis.

In the light of this message of universal brotherhood, he should have explained why his country discriminates so horribly against non-Muslims; Or better, why Saudi penal law does not treat all people living in its Kingdom equally (read from here). Did media ever mention or question all this when they were reporting on his visit and his messages?

How should one see the following comment?

Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, also laid the foundation stone for the Students' Islamic Center in New Delhi Sunday and urged the student community to work together to change the social order and bring about progress and prosperity (here).

Work together to change social order? He is essentially calling young Indian Muslims to wage Jihad (violent or non violent) to change social order of present day representing equality of all people - irrespective of religion - before the laws to a position where in Muslims are superior to non-Muslims in all aspects [Sharia law places Muslims in superior position to non-Muslims]. 'Change social order' is just a euphemism for 'make India an Islamic republic as once it used to be'. Underlying classical Islamic assumption , coming out of Koran, of Islam[obedience to Allah] brings prosperity is also visible in his above comments; in his view Islam is solution to poverty in India.

Sheikh Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sudayis is a quintessential Islamist who says one thing to infidel audience in infidel countries and exactly opposite to Muslim audience in Muslim countries. This kind of double speak is well recognized characteristic of Islamic trait of taqiyya (or here). Simple search through web reveals many unpleasant things about this Sheik like, his remarks of antisemitism and his ridiculing of all other religions.

Sheikh Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sudayis is banned from entering countries US and Canada for his vitriol against Jews. Some of his outbursts are:

In the year 2003, April, before 2 million followers, Al-Sudais, prayed to Allah to "terminate" the Jews whom he called "the scum of humanity, the rats of the world, prophet killers ... pigs and monkeys."
Al-Sudais also urged Arabs and Muslims to abandon peace initiatives with Israel.
"We must say farewell to peace initiatives with these people [Jews]," he told worshippers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
The sheikh has also characterized Jews as "evil," "evil forefathers," a "continuum of deceit," and full of "tyranny" and "treachery." (Source: here or here)

"Read the history to know that yesterday’s Jews are evil predecessors and today’s Jews are worse successors. They an ingrate people, they altered God’s words, worshipped calf, killed Messengers and denied their Messages. They are exiled people and the worst of mankind. Allaah cursed them and cast His wrath upon them. He turned some of them to monkeys and pigs and worshippers of creatures. They are worst in position and are astray from the right path.…

History of Jews is full of deception, trickery, rebellion, oppression, evil and corruption. They always seek to cause mischief on the earth and Allaah loves not the mischief-makers." (Source: note 8 from here or here)

It is not just Jews that he vilified. A British journalist John Ware has exposed how this 'peace loving' Sheik has one voice for infidels and a different one for muslims back home (here). In East London, at the time of opening of new mosque, Sheik Al-Sudayis was a guest and he spoke these words:

The history of Islam is the best testament to how different communities can live together in peace and harmony. Muslims must exemplify the true image of Islam in their interaction with other communities.

The same Sheik also says:

The worst ... of the enemies of Islam are those... whom he... made monkeys and pigs, the aggressive Jews and oppressive Zionists and those that follow them: the callers of the trinity and the cross worshippers... those influenced by the rottenness of their ideas, and the poison of their cultures the followers of secularism... How can we talk sweetly when the Hindus and the idol worshippers indulge in their overwhelming hatred against our brothers... in Muslim Kashmir...

So much for interfaith dialog that are initiated by Muslims living in infidel countries. Such is the duplicity of Sheik Al-Sudayis or any other Islamist who pose as a moderate Muslim. Above all, this Sheik was appointed as Imam by Saudi regime and considering that his sermons are broadcast over TV networks, one can not simply assume that Saudi rulers are not aware of his vitriol. Finally, whether Saudi practice of discrimination against Non Muslims or Sheiks hatred against others, such naked reality should not make infidels to point fingers at Islam or Saudi Arabia; to do so will be an act of Islamophobia!